Stocks Rise in Run-Up to Jackson Hole Speeches -- 2nd Update

Stocks mostly nudged higher Friday, putting bourses around the world on track for weekly gains.

The Stoxx Europe 600 inched up 0.2% in the early minutes of trading, following an upbeat session in Asia. Futures pointed to small opening gains on Wall Street.

The moves came ahead of speeches later in the day from the heads of the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank at the annual Jackson Hole gathering of central bankers. Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen will deliver a speech on financial stability at 10 a.m. EDT, while European Central Bank President Mario Draghi will deliver a luncheon address around 3 p.m. EDT.

"The expectation is that both will seek to be as boring as possible," said Rob Carnell, chief economist and head of research for the Asia-Pacific region at ING. Still, most investors will be watching the conference closely amid expectations that global central banks will slowly withdraw massive stimulus efforts in the coming months.

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The euro was down 0.1% against the dollar at $1.1784 in morning trading after climbing 12% so far this year.

"Given the euro has strengthened so significantly this year, my interpretation is the ECB will want to be a little bit cautious and not get too far ahead of the Fed," said Holly MacDonald, chief investment strategist at Bessemer Trust.

The dollar, meanwhile, has weakened around 7% against a basket of 16 currencies, in part due to expectations that interest rates will rise only gradually in the U.S.

Investors currently price just a 44% chance of a rate rise in the U.S. by the end of the year, according to Fed-fund futures tracked by CME Group, and nearly 35% expect rates to be unchanged in August 2018.

"It has been a long time since the market view and the Fed's own projections last differed like this," strategists at Commerzbank wrote in a note to clients.

Asian stocks picked up momentum after a muted start to Friday's trading.

Chinese equities led the way as shares rebounded on gains in the banking sector ahead of first-half reports. The Shanghai Composite was up 1.8%, with Industrial & Commercial Bank of China hitting a nine-year high ahead of its earnings release on Wednesday.

Japan's Nikkei rose 0.5% as the dollar strengthened against the yen, with Yamaha Motor Co., Toyota Motor Co. and Sony Corp. all rising close to 1%.

In commodities, Brent crude oil rose 0.8% to $52.08 a barrel, partially reversing Thursday's declines as the market watched the progress of Hurricane Harvey toward Texas. Crude fell Thursday on worries that refiners' near-term usage of oil in the region will fall faster than offshore production, said investment bank OCBC.

Write to Riva Gold at riva.gold@wsj.com and Lucy Craymer at Lucy.Craymer@wsj.com

-- Yellen, Draghi in the spotlight

-- Best day for Shanghai stocks in a year

-- Oil prices climb as hurricane nears Texas

Stocks moved higher Friday ahead of an update from central bankers, keeping most bourses around the world on track for weekly gains.

The Stoxx Europe 600 was up 0.4% midday as a climb in the banking, auto and mining sectors offset losses in shares of retailers. Shanghai stocks closed out their best day in a year as lenders jumped, while futures pointed to 0.2% opening gain for the S&P 500.

The moves came ahead of speeches later in the day from the heads of the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank at the annual Jackson Hole gathering of central bankers. Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen will deliver a speech on financial stability at 10 a.m. EDT, and ECB President Mario Draghi will hold a luncheon address around 3 p.m. EDT.

While no major policy announcements are anticipated by investors and implied volatility in markets is fairly low, most will be watching their comments closely.

"We expect that the ECB will remain accommodative, and [Mr. Draghi] has to say that to limit the upside on the euro and limit the risk on economic growth," said Philippe Waechter, chief economist at Natixis Asset Management. Should Mr. Draghi not say anything to that effect, the market could take that as a cue to keep buying the euro, he said.

The euro was flat against the dollar at $1.1804 after climbing 12% so far this year as political risks have cleared just as the eurozone economy has strengthened.

The dollar, meanwhile, has weakened around 7% against a basket of 16 currencies, in part due to fading hopes for fiscal stimulus and expectations that interest rates will rise only gradually in the U.S.

Investors currently price just a 40% chance of a rate rise in the U.S. by the end of the year, according to Fed-fund futures tracked by CME Group, and nearly 38% expect rates to be unchanged in August 2018, well below the Fed's official projections.

Holly MacDonald, chief investment strategist at Bessemer Trust, said she thinks there might be room for more of a hawkish surprise from the Fed this weekend, in light of current market pricing.

"Given that inflation has been so low, it is reasonable to expect the Fed will be very measured," she said. But most readings suggest the economy is in good shape, and there is a chance Ms. Yellen could discuss current financial conditions, implying higher rates, she said.

Yields on 10-year German government bonds rose to 0.401% from 0.378% Thursday, but Treasurys were steady at 2.195% from 2.194%. Yields move inversely to prices.

Earlier, Asian stocks picked up momentum after a muted start to Friday's trading.

Chinese equities led the way as shares rebounded on gains in the banking sector ahead of first-half reports. The Shanghai Composite was up 1.8% in its best day of the year, with Industrial & Commercial Bank of China hitting a nine-year high ahead of its earnings release on Wednesday.

Japan's Nikkei rose 0.5% as the dollar strengthened against the yen, with Yamaha Motor Co., Toyota Motor Co. and Sony Corp. all rising close to 1%. Still, the Nikkei logged a sixth straight weekly drop despite gains overseas, its longest losing streak since the start of 2014.

Gains in South Korea's Kospi index were muted with the overall index up just 0.1% as shares of Samsung Electronics Co. fell 1.1%. Samsung 's de facto leader, Lee Jae-yong, was found guilty of bribing South Korea's president and sentenced to five years in prison on Friday. Portions of the decision came just as trading ended for the week.

In commodities, Brent crude oil rose 0.7% to $52.04 a barrel, partially reversing Thursday's declines as the market watched the progress of Hurricane Harvey toward Texas. Crude fell Thursday on worries that refiners' near-term usage of oil in the region will fall faster than offshore production, said investment bank OCBC.

Kevin Kingsbury

contributed to this article.

Write to Riva Gold at riva.gold@wsj.com and Lucy Craymer at Lucy.Craymer@wsj.com